Project description:Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) are responsible for large outbreaks of hemorrhagic colitis, which can progress to life-threatening hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) due to the release of Shiga-like toxins (Stx). The presence of a functional nitric oxide (NO·) reductase (NorV), which protects EHEC from NO· produced by immune cells, was previously found to correlate with high HUS incidence, and it was shown that NorV activity enabled prolonged EHEC survival and increased Stx production within macrophages. To enable quantitative study of EHEC NO· defenses and facilitate the development of NO·-potentiating therapeutics, we translated an existing kinetic model of the E. coli K-12 NO· response to an EHEC O157:H7 strain. To do this, we trained uncertain model parameters on measurements of [NO·] and [O?] in EHEC cultures, assessed parametric and prediction uncertainty with the use of a Markov chain Monte Carlo approach, and confirmed the predictive accuracy of the model with experimental data from genetic mutants lacking NorV or Hmp (NO· dioxygenase). Collectively, these results establish a methodology for the translation of quantitative models of NO· stress in model organisms to pathogenic sub-species, which is a critical step toward the application of these models for the study of infectious disease.
Project description:Biofilms in the industrial environment could be problematic. Encased in extracellular polymeric substances, pathogens within biofilms are significantly more resistant to chlorine and other disinfectants. Recent studies suggest that compounds capable of manipulating nitric oxide-mediated signaling in bacteria could induce dispersal of sessile bacteria and provide a foundation for novel approaches to controlling biofilms formed by some microorganisms. In this work, we compared the ability of five nitric oxide donors (molsidomine, MAHMA NONOate, diethylamine NONOate, diethylamine NONOate diethylammonium salt, spermine NONOate) to dislodge biofilms formed by non-typhoidal Salmonella enterica and pathogenic E. coli on plastic and stainless steel surfaces at different temperatures. All five nitric oxide donors induced significant (35-80%) dispersal of biofilms, however, the degree of dispersal and the optimal dispersal conditions varied. MAHMA NONOate and molsidomine were strong dispersants of the Salmonella biofilms formed on polystyrene. Importantly, molsidomine induced dispersal of up to 50% of the pre-formed Salmonella biofilm at 4°C, suggesting that it could be effective even under refrigerated conditions. Biofilms formed by E. coli O157:H7 were also significantly dispersed. Nitric oxide donor molecules were highly active within 6 hours of application. To better understand mode of action of these compounds, we identified Salmonella genomic region recA-hydN, deletion of which led to an insensitivity to the nitric oxide donors.
Project description:Expression of genes of the locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE) is essential for adherence of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) to intestinal epithelial cells. Gut factors that may modulate LEE gene expression may therefore influence the outcome of the infection. Because nitric oxide (NO) is a critical effector of the intestinal immune response that may induce transcriptional regulation in enterobacteria, we investigated its influence on LEE expression in EHEC O157:H7. We demonstrate that NO inhibits the expression of genes belonging to LEE1, LEE4, and LEE5 operons, and that the NO sensor nitrite-sensitive repressor (NsrR) is a positive regulator of these operons by interacting directly with the RNA polymerase complex. In the presence of NO, NsrR detaches from the LEE1/4/5 promoter regions and does not activate transcription. In parallel, two regulators of the acid resistance pathway, GadE and GadX, are induced by NO through an indirect NsrR-dependent mechanism. In this context, we show that the NO-dependent LEE1 down-regulation is due to absence of NsrR-mediated activation and to the repressor effect of GadX. Moreover, the inhibition of expression of LEE4 and LEE5 by NO is due to loss of NsrR-mediated activation, to LEE1 down-regulation and to GadE up-regulation. Lastly, we establish that chemical or cellular sources of NO inhibit the adherence of EHEC to human intestinal epithelial cells. These results highlight the critical effect of NsrR in the regulation of the LEE pathogenicity island and the potential role of NO in the limitation of colonization by EHEC.
Project description:AimTo establish the rapid, specific, and sensitive method for detecting O157:H7 with DNA microchips.MethodsSpecific oligonucleotide probes (26-28 nt) of bacterial antigenic and virulent genes of E. coli O157:H7 and other related pathogen genes were pre-synthesized and immobilized on a solid support to make microchips. The four genes encoding O157 somatic antigen (rfbE), H7 flagellar antigen (fliC) and toxins (SLT1, SLT2) were monitored by multiplex PCR with four pairs of specific primers. Fluorescence-Cy3 labeled samples for hybridization were generated by PCR with Cy3-labeled single prime. Hybridization was performed for 60 min at 45 degrees. Microchip images were taken using a confocal fluorescent scanner.ResultsTwelve different bacterial strains were detected with various combinations of four virulent genes. All the O157:H7 strains yielded positive results by multiplex PCR. The size of the PCR products generated with these primers varied from 210 to 678 bp. All the rfbE/fliC/SLT1/SLT2 probes specifically recognized Cy3-labeled fluorescent samples from O157:H7 strains, or strains containing O157 and H7 genes. No cross hybridization of O157:H7 fluorescent samples occurred in other probes. Non-O157:H7 pathogens failed to yield any signal under comparable conditions. If the Cy3-labeled fluorescent product of O157 single PCR was diluted 50-fold, no signal was found in agarose gel electrophoresis, but a positive signal was found in microarray hybridization.ConclusionMicroarray analysis of O157:H7 is a rapid, specific, and efficient method for identification and detection of bacterial pathogens.
Project description:BACKGROUND: Escherichia coli O157:H7 is one cause of acute bacterial gastroenteritis, which can be devastating in outbreak situations. We studied the risk of cardiovascular disease following such an outbreak in Walkerton, Ontario, in May 2000. METHODS: In this community-based cohort study, we linked data from the Walkerton Health Study (2002-2008) to Ontario's large healthcare databases. We included 4 groups of adults: 3 groups of Walkerton participants (153 with severe gastroenteritis, 414 with mild gastroenteritis, 331 with no gastroenteritis) and a group of 11 263 residents from the surrounding communities that were unaffected by the outbreak. The primary outcome was a composite of death or first major cardiovascular event (admission to hospital for acute myocardial infarction, stroke or congestive heart failure, or evidence of associated procedures). The secondary outcome was first major cardiovascular event censored for death. Adults were followed for an average of 7.4 years. RESULTS: During the study period, 1174 adults (9.7%) died or experienced a major cardiovascular event. Compared with residents of the surrounding communities, the risk of death or cardiovascular event was not elevated among Walkerton participants with severe or mild gastroenteritis (hazard ratio [HR] for severe gastroenteritis 0.74, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.38-1.43, mild gastroenteritis HR 0.64, 95% CI 0.42-0.98). Compared with Walkerton participants who had no gastroenteritis, risk of death or cardiovascular event was not elevated among participants with severe or mild gastroenteritis. INTERPRETATION: There was no increase in the risk of cardiovascular disease in the decade following acute infection during a major E. coli O157:H7 outbreak.
Project description:There are 29 E. coli genome sequences available, mostly related to studies of species diversity or mode of pathogenicity, including two genomes of the well-known O157:H7 clone. However, there have been no genome studies of closely related clones aimed at exposing the details of evolutionary change. Here we sequenced the genome of an O55:H7 strain, closely related to the major pathogenic O157:H7 clone, with published genome sequences, and undertook comparative genomic and proteomic analysis. We were able to allocate most differences between the genomes to individual mutations, recombination events, or lateral gene transfer events, in specific lineages. Major differences include a type II secretion system present only in the O55:H7 chromosome, fewer type III secretion system effectors in O55:H7, and 19 phage genomes or phagelike elements in O55:H7 compared to 23 in O157:H7, with only three common to both. Many other changes were found in both O55:H7 and O157:H7 lineages, but in general there has been more change in the O157:H7 lineages. For example, we found 50% more synonymous mutational substitutions in O157:H7 compared to O55:H7. The two strains also diverged at the proteomic level. Mutational synonymous SNPs were used to estimate a divergence time of 400 years using a new clock rate, in contrast to 14,000 to 70,000 years using the traditional clock rates. The same approaches were applied to three closely related extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli genomes, and similar levels of mutation and recombination were found. This study revealed for the first time the full range of events involved in the evolution of the O157:H7 clone from its O55:H7 ancestor, and suggested that O157:H7 arose quite recently. Our findings also suggest that E. coli has a much lower frequency of recombination relative to mutation than was observed in a comparable study of a Vibrio cholerae lineage.
Project description:The rapid emergence of Escherichia coli O157:H7 from an unknown strain in 1982 to the dominant hemorrhagic E. coli serotype in the United States and the cause of widespread outbreaks of human food-borne illness highlights a need to evaluate critically the extent to which genomic plasticity of this important enteric pathogen contributes to its pathogenic potential and its evolution as well as its adaptation in different ecological niches. Aimed at a better understanding of the evolution of the E. coli O157:H7 pathogenome, the present study presents the high-quality sequencing and comparative phylogenomic analysis of a comprehensive panel of 25 E. coli O157:H7 strains associated with three nearly simultaneous food-borne outbreaks of human disease in the United States. Here we present a population genetic analysis of more than 200 related strains recovered from patients, contaminated produce, and zoonotic sources. High-resolution phylogenomic approaches allow the dynamics of pathogenome evolution to be followed at a high level of phylogenetic accuracy and resolution. SNP discovery and study of genome architecture and prophage content identified numerous biomarkers to assess the extent of genetic diversity within a set of clinical and environmental strains. A total of 1,225 SNPs were identified in the present study and are now available for typing of the E. coli O157:H7 lineage. These data should prove useful for the development of a refined phylogenomic framework for forensic, diagnostic, and epidemiological studies to define better risk in response to novel and emerging E. coli O157:H7 resistance and virulence phenotypes.
Project description:The human zoonotic pathogen Escherichia coli O157:H7 is defined by its extensive prophage repertoire including those that encode Shiga toxin, the factor responsible for inducing life-threatening pathology in humans. As well as introducing genes that can contribute to the virulence of a strain, prophage can enable the generation of large-chromosomal rearrangements (LCRs) by homologous recombination. This work examines the types and frequencies of LCRs across the major lineages of the O157:H7 serotype. We demonstrate that LCRs are a major source of genomic variation across all lineages of E. coli O157:H7 and by using both optical mapping and Oxford Nanopore long-read sequencing prove that LCRs are generated in laboratory cultures started from a single colony and that these variants can be recovered from colonized cattle. LCRs are biased towards the terminus region of the genome and are bounded by specific prophages that share large regions of sequence homology associated with the recombinational activity. RNA transcriptional profiling and phenotyping of specific structural variants indicated that important virulence phenotypes such as Shiga-toxin production, type-3 secretion and motility can be affected by LCRs. In summary, E. coli O157:H7 has acquired multiple prophage regions over time that act to continually produce structural variants of the genome. These findings raise important questions about the significance of this prophage-mediated genome contingency to enhance adaptability between environments.
Project description:There is increasing evidence to support a role for sigma factor 54 (RpoN) in the regulation of stress resistance factors and protein secretion systems important to bacterial transmission and pathogenesis. In enterohemorrhagic E. coli O157:H7, acid resistance and type III secretion are essential determinants of gastric passage and colonization. This study thus described the transcriptome of an rpoN null strain of E. coli O157:H7 (EcJR-8) to determine the influence of RpoN on virulence and stress resistance gene regulation, and further explored its contribution to glutamate-dependent acid resistance (GDAR). Inactivation of rpoN resulted in the growth phase-dependent, differential expression of 104 genes. This included type III secretion structural and regulatory genes encoded on the locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE), as well as GDAR genes gadA, gadBC and gadE. Upregulation of gad transcript levels in EcJR-8 during logarithmic growth correlated with increased GDAR and survival in a model stomach. Acid susceptibility was reconstituted in EcJR-8 complemented in trans with wild-type rpoN. Acid resistance in EcJR-8 was dependent on exogenous glutamate, gadE and rpoS, but was independent of hns. Results also suggest that GDAR may be controlled by RpoN at multiple regulatory levels. This study supports the hypothesis that RpoN is an important regulator of virulence and stress resistance factors in E. coli O157:H7, and is the first to examine the mechanism by which it represses GDAR.